3D Headset and Treadmill Combo Make Video Games Feel Real

Forget haptic feedback. When combined, two pieces of virtual-reality tech offer an immersive gaming experience that puts you in the middle of the action

Texas-based startup Virtuix posted a YouTube video Thursday that demonstrates Omni, its treadmill-like "natural motion interface for virtual reality applications" that enables a user's in-game avatar to mimic his or her real-life movements. The video shows it being used along with the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset

The result? Rather than sitting on the couch and clicking buttons on a controller, users must physically run and blast enemies with a gaming gun while playing, for example, a first-person shooter. They can walk, run, jump, step sideways and crouch (by bending over) in any direction on Omni's circular treadmill. Check out the video, above, to see the immersive action. Read more...